Click on the picture below to be taken to the Official Site & Trailer – More Info. Coming Soon
Film
Visiting Owl Farm; A Journey into Hunter Thompson’s fortified compound (via stormgenerationfilms)
Check out this account by Nick Storm of his visit to Owl Farm. While you are at it make sure to have a look at his upcoming documentary on Ron Whitehead (More on this soon)
Rory
First shot of Paul Kemp & Chenault in The Rum Diary
Hey folks,
Entertainment Weekly has revealed the first shot of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in a scene from The Rum Diary.
I am also looking for your feedback regarding posting these updates from The Rum Diary. Should I post pictures directly or link to them so as not to spoil anything? Let me know in the comment section and also what you think of the shot.
I expect that there will be a poster, trailer and more stills hitting the net in the weeks ahead. As always I will post them here asap.
Cheers,
R
The Rum Diary gets Oct. 28 release date
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:
It was announced today at CinemaCon, by Bob Berney, President, Theatrical Distribution that FilmDistrict will release “The Rum Diary,” based on the early Hunter S. Thompson novel that was ultimately published in 1998. It stars Johnny Depp and will be released on October 28, 2011. The film is directed by Bruce Robinson (“Withnail and I”) from his own screenplay and also stars Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard, Michael Rispoli, Richard Jenkins and Giovanni Ribisi. “The Rum Diary” is produced by Infinitum Nihil, the production company headed by Depp and Christi Dembrowski, along with Graham King and Tim Headington. Anthony Rhulen and Robert Kravis also produce.
“The Rum Diary” tells the increasingly unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Depp). Tired of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local San Juan newspaper run by the downtrodden editor Lotterman (Jenkins). Adopting the rum-soaked lifestyle of the late ‘50s version of Hemingway’s “The Lost Generation,” Paul soon becomes entangled with a very attractive American woman, Chenault (Heard) and her fiancée Sanderson (Eckhart), a businessman involved in shady property development deals. It is within this world that Kemp ultimately discovers his true voice as a writer and integrity as a man.
“Hunter S. Thompson became close with Johnny Depp during the filming of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and showed Depp the unpublished manuscript for The Rum Diary,” says producer and FilmDistrict co-founder Graham King. “I am extremely proud to bring this novel to film and to honor Hunter’s legacy.”
Peter Schlessel, CEO of FilmDistrict and President of GK Films, says, “The Rum Diary” is a special project for all of us here, as it is a true collaboration between both of our entities. Depp gives an extraordinary performance in this remarkable adaptation.”
“Robinson directed one of my favorite films, “Withnail and I” – combine that with Hunter S. Thompson and it’s a match made in celluloid heaven,” says Bob Berney, President of Distribution, FilmDistrict.
“The Rum Diary” is a GK Films, Infinitum Nihil and Film Engine production produced by Johnny Depp, Christi Dembrowski, Anthony Rhulen, Robert Kravis, Tim Headington and Graham King.
Outlaw Poet: A documentary on Ron Whitehead
“I have long admired Ron Whitehead. He is crazy as nine loons, and his poetry is a dazzling mix of folk wisdom and pure mathematics” – Hunter S. Thompson
Hey guys,
Delighted to bring this excellent project to your attention. Storm Generation Films are currently working on making a feature length documentary on Kentucky Beat Poet Ron Whitehead. Below is a detailed description of the project from producer/director Nick Storm:
“The cinema verite story of Outlaw Poet and king of the underground Ron Whitehead. This feature length documentary film will be a journey through Ron’s life; from driving 60-miles an hour at 3 a.m. through the streets of Louisville, in reverse, with Hunter S. Thompson, to his relationships with Beat Generation juggernauts, complete with an introspective look at his childhood growing up on a farm in rural Ohio County western Kentucky where Bill Monroe birthed Bluegrass Music, Ron & Johnny Depp both birthed in Owensboro Kentucky.
Through images, interviews, and Ron’s own words, the story of Ron Whitehead will be documented as he travels to Iceland to share his latest book The Storm Generation Manifesto and on parting, the wilderness poems (produced by Gill Scott Holland’s Holland Brown Books(www.hollandbrownbooks.com). He’ll read “The Viking Mountain” and “The Storm Generation Manifesto” atop The Viking Mountain plus readings from San Francisco crossing the USA to New York City to Ireland and Scotland and England and The Netherlands and Belgium and Italy and Germany and India and Nicaragua and Argentina and Beyond.
The film will include interviews & appearances from: Anita Thompson, Douglas Brinkley, Frank Messina, Birgitta Jonsdottir, Michael Dean Odin Pollock, Olafur Gunnarson (Iceland’s leading novelist), David Amram, Black Pig Liberation Front and many more. Plus music from the Nappy Roots and other (big surprises abound) major bands/musicians.
Whitehead scorches the earth with his own brand of poetry, prose, and ancient wisdom. The visionary icon has lived life on his own terms. Leaving his family farm at the vulnerable age of 17, Ron struck out to discover the world – his world, his way. Through his inventive gifted hard-earned use of poemed verse, prose, and fire-breathing talks/readings performances and his unique raw indigenous force of nature lightninged spirit, Ron Whitehead’s journey through life has become a road map for the rest of us. As Ron enters his sixth decade of the journey, he seeks to continually perpetually eternally relentlessly uplift and inspire all he comes in contact with to comfort and heal all who suffer to awaken all and everything to the awareness that ultimately essentially forgiveness is amazing grace that peace love and understanding and fearlessly being our dream whatever our dreams might be and that regardless of the odds of the circumstances that ultimately life is a terribly beautifully gifted adventure an opportunity to grow our souls. Via his spectrum of creative works which include the spectrum all genres of the arts in his world travels he encourages everyone to come out of whatever closet(s) they’re fearfully hiding in and to find and be their dreams.”
At the moment Storm Generation Films are in the process of raising funds to get this thing going – this is where it gets really interesting, particularly if you want to get involved in all of this. They have set up a kickstarter page to organise funding and are offering some great rewards for anyone kind enough to donate money – from signed posters, DVD’s and your name in the credits of the film to becoming an associate producer, getting an invite to the wrap party or even joining the crew in the field and being part of the filmmaking process.
Anyway I could keep writing all night as to why this project kicks ass and why you would want to be insane not to be a part of it. For now check out the official websites below. I’ll be updating the blog with further developments as they happen.
Official Site: Storm Generation Films
Ron Whitehead: Official Site
Ok for now,
Rory
Animals, Whores & Dialogue Review
If you want to know why Animals, Whores & Dialogue stands out from all the other documentary movies about Hunter S. Thompson, take one look at the cover of the DVD and you will find the answer. The image used is that of Hunter sitting in front of his typewriter, at work on his Hey Rube column for ESPN, which encapsulates the very essence of this documentary. The previous offering from Wayne Ewing, the rollicking Breakfast with Hunter, opted for a cover featuring the infamous Gonzo logo, which similarly reflected the direction of the film. That is not to say that the first instalment presented an unbalanced portrait of Hunter, but rather there was a mixture of both man and myth. Contemplative moments at Owl Farm were counterbalanced by the more hectic elements of life on the road, with Hunter living up to his Raoul Duke persona. Continue reading
The Rum Diary – Opening Shot?
Credit goes to Emma @ Johhnydepp-zone.com for spotting this on the official website of Nina Saxon, designer of the film’s title sequence. It also appears that a Swedish release date has been set for 3 December 2010 so things appear to have turned around and we are now looking at a 2010 release in select European markets.
Sweet!
R
The Rum Diary Screenplay? (Updated)
Hey folks,
So I was just browsing Amazon.co.uk and I came across this – The Rum Diary: Based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson. The author is listed as Bruce Robinson and it is 160 pages in length, due to be published by Vintage on September 1st 2011. What really caught my eye though is the synopsis:
It’s 1960. In a highrise hotel not far from the beaches of San Juan, a man is recovering from an animal of a hangover. Paul Kemp is an alcoholic journalist who’s barely seen better days, arriving at the only job he can get: writing horoscopes for failing rag El News. His fellow hacks are mostly crazy drunks on the verge of quitting, so Kemp fits in perfectly. But then he meets the impossibly gorgeous Chenault and her flashy boyfriend Sanderson. Kemp soon finds himself in way over his head, party to shady business deals, caught up in car chases with enraged Puerto Ricans, and experimenting with a hitherto unknown hallucinogen, which will eventually transform Kemp into the kind of journalist known to the world as Gonzo.
Two things – you can pretty much take the above as the plot of the film and having read a 2006 draft of the script it matches it perfectly. Secondly I noticed that this was put up last week on Amazon with a release date of next October. It was then pulled, before reappearing with this new release date. Sources have also indicated that the Dutch release date for the move, Nov. 2010, has now been put back to 2011. The Russian release date also appears to have been put back until 2011.
Damn, damn, damn.
R
UPDATE: The movie tie-in of The Rum Diary is still listed as having a September 2010 release. The UK release date for the movie is still slated as being September 2010. Not sure what to make of all this now to be honest. Amazon have been proven in the past to be incorrect with release dates. I guess we will have to be patient and see what happens.
Animals, Whores & Dialogue: Breakfast with Hunter Vol.2
Great news folks,
Wayne Ewing returns with the eagerly anticipated sequel to Breakfast with Hunter. Anointed as the official “man behind the camera” by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, the critically acclaimed producer, director and cinematographer brings us yet another intimate portrait of one of the most important figures in 2oth Century American literature. It is an invaluable record but its brilliance resides in Ewing’s ability to pierce the shroud of myth surrounding Thompson to reveal the true artist and writer beneath. The title of this sequel – Animals, Whores & Dialogue, stems from the words affixed to Thompson’s typewriter – subject matter that he turned to in order to fire up the Gonzo engine and get into gear as the high priest of hedonism who danced right to the edge of the abyss as he lamented the death of the American Dream.
With a release date of July 13th head on over to Wayne Ewing’s Official Site and order your copy today.
Cheers,
R
Saturday Night In The City – Hunter S. Thompson
Hey,
Thanks to Jerry Nguyen for sharing this short film version of Saturday Night In The City from Generation of Swine.
Shot by a group of friends and filmmakers in Toronto, here is what Jerry had to say about the making of the film:
“We shot this back in the summer of ’09. It came about when the fellow that plays Thompson (Nic Di Lollo) and I were in a pub shooting the breeze, after another short film we worked on. We went out for smoke – I use a cigarette holder and we started discussing Hunter S. Thompson. he called me a few nights later doing a Hunter impression, in character, all the way through, it was uncanny, and I was convince we could pull it off. http://vimeo.com/7935875 “
I read through a lot of Hunter’s stories and settled on shooting Saturday Night In The City, because it seemed like cheapest one to produce. We’re filmmakers which means we’re broke most of time. also because it allowed us to explore another aspect of Hunter which was never really seen in Where the Buffalo Roam or Fear and Loathing – Hunter and women. Though we took a bit of creative license when shooting the sequence in chinatown.
Everyone was awesome to work with. Jo (who played Maria) actually gets a tattoo on camera, which is pretty bad ass, and me and the boys from the Baldwin Street Tattoo shop went on to shoot this:
So there you go folks, I must say I think it is great and would love to see more people do creative projects inspired by Hunter like this.
All the best,
R
Totally Gonzo 